It is a common practice in the operation of automatic article forming machines, such as molding and dye casting machines, to spray the mold or dye surfaces with a release compound or lubricant during each article forming cycle. In conventional practice, each time the machine components separate and the article formed is removed, the mold or dye cavities are sprayed with a compound which prevents the formed article from adhering to the machine surfaces. Typically, the spraying assembly is automatically moved between the separated members of article forming machine after the formed article is removed. The release compound or other liquid is then sprayed on the appropriate surfaces and the spraying assembly is automatically withdrawn and a new forming cycle is initiated. However, the fact that many different mold or dye patterns are employed having a variety of different dimensions creates a particularly difficult problem in providing a spray assembly which provides the proper spray nozzle orientation to deliver the sprayed liquid in the desired pattern matching the mold patterns. Prior spraying devices have not satisfactorily provided a sprayhead assembly which can be economically manufactured and fabricated and still provide the flexibility of spray patterns necessary to meet the variety of requirements of modern mold and dye casting operations.
Examples of prior art spraying assemblies useful for such article forming apparatus are shown in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,633,651; 4,230,270; 4,293,024 and 3,851,820. However, each of these prior art devices provide a spraying assembly which is not as flexible as desired or requires relatively expensive manufacturing techniques to provide an assembly which is adapted to meet a given mold or die casting application.